


Choking on Whys

by voleuse



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s09e05 The Powers That Be, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29972631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voleuse/pseuds/voleuse
Summary: It's too soon so I'll fight again, again, again.What ever gave him the idea that she had the capacity to generous?
Relationships: Daniel Jackson/Vala Mal Doran
Kudos: 8





	Choking on Whys

**Author's Note:**

> Set in and around 9.05, "The Powers That Be."

Vala turned when she heard Mitchell enter the conference room behind her.

"Who--how did you get before me?" he asked. He set his now-empty Jell-o bowl on the table. 

"There are seven different ways to get here from the kitchens," Vala explained. "I took the short one."

Mitchell frowned. "There's a short one?"

"Please, Mitchell," Vala replied, "It's like you've never mapped the ventilation system before."

Mitchell looked over at Baker, who had posted herself by the door. "Does security know that--"

Landry walked in. "Walter said you have a mission?" He waved a hand. "At ease."

"Sir," Mitchell said. "It's one of the planets the Priors have visited--Vala says she has connections there."

"And?" Landry raised his eyebrows.

"Man, this looks so much easier when Jackson does it," Mitchell muttered, but he fanned out the original mission report across the table to make the pitch.

Landry had a couple of questions for Vala about the local population, but otherwise seemed inclined to let them go. "Your team? Vala, of course. But who else?"

Mitchell looked sideways. "Well, sir, I was thinking to run things by Jackson, see if--"

"Right." Landry looked at his watch. "He should be back on base by now. Go ahead." 

"Thank you, sir." Mitchell said. "I'll find him."

"And Colonel," Landry said before he returned to his office, "You might see if Teal'c wants to go along, since he's here."

Mitchell rose on his toes, almost bounced. A salute, and then he was running down the hall.

Vala smiled at Landry. "I'm surprised he didn't burst into song."

"Imagine if Colonel Carter came back," Landry said, smirking as he went on his way.

***

Vala turned as Mitchell entered Daniel's office. "What took you so long?" she asked.

"What the hell?" he responded. He turned to Baker again. "How are you doing it?" 

"Obviously the bypass connections for the auxiliary air regulator," Vala interrupted, taking some pleasure in Mitchell's dismay. 

Daniel cleared his throat. "So, mission?" He was seated on one side of the table, Teal'c on the other.

Mitchell handed over the folder. "Worth taking a look."

"And I know some people there," Vala piped in. She took a step toward Mitchell and stage whispered, "I saved the best part for you."

The look Mitchell gave her was half embarrassed and half annoyed. She motioned at him. _Go on._

"Teal'c," Mitchell said. "You want to come along? Could use your help."

"How so, Colonel Mitchell?" Teal'c responded.

Daniel answered instead. "It's one of the planets visited by a Prior." He set his coffee down. "If we're talking about false gods..."

"Indeed." Teal'c stood. "In that case, I shall join you."

Mitchell was practically skipping when he followed Teal'c out to get some gear.

"It's adorable," Vala said to Baker, whose on-the-clock face that day was unbreakable.

"Right, right," Daniel said, rushing through the words. "This isn't a purely humanitarian mission for you, is it?"

"I don't know what you mean," Vala said. She folded her arms. "You of all people know I've been dying to get out."

"And finish whatever you were doing on Katana," he replied. "So what's the catch here?"

"Daniel," Vala sighed. "I lived on that planet for two whole years. Give me some credit."

He squinted at her for a few seconds, then relaxed. "Okay, fine." He tipped his head toward the hall. "Let's go catch up."

As Daniel walked ahead of her, Vala allowed herself a quick hop of glee, completely ignoring the audible sigh of Baker behind her.

***

They were only a few feet past the gate when Daniel and Mitchell, somehow in complete harmony, swiveled back to stare at her.

"So what is it?" Daniel asked, just as Mitchell said, "Let's hear it."

Vala looked from one to the other. "I don't know what you mean." A glance at Teal'c, who very responsibly was keeping watch.

Daniel folded his hands together. "Whatever you didn't tell us that would have made us leave you on base."

She placed a hand over her heart. "I am hurt that you think I would do anything to jeopa--" Spotting movement down the way, Vala hastily crouched and hid behind Teal'c. "We should hurry, they can't see me yet."

"There we go," Mitchell announced. 

Vala glared at Mitchell, then attempted to turn Teal'c in another direction. "Can you all move, please?"

Teal'c glanced down at Vala, then over to Daniel. "Fine," Daniel snapped at her. "Where to?" 

Vala just looked at him.

"Right," Daniel sighed. "Pyramid."

***

After Vala caved and agreed to un-god herself, Daniel followed her back into her dressing room. He thought she'd been sincere in her concession, but he was also pretty sure she'd bolt if given the opportunity.

He leaned back against the wall as Vala yanked real, actual clothing from her pack. "I know you don't want to hurt these people," he said. "You certainly don't need any of Qetesh's spoils."

"Really, Daniel?" Vala said. She shook out her jacket and laid it down. "Not even a bit? Because eventually this bond," she gestured sharply between them, "is going to fade and then I'll be out here again and I've tried starving to death before and didn't enjoy it."

It took Daniel a few seconds to parse her rant; meanwhile, she undid her boots. "Vala," he said, "I know we've had our differences, but we wouldn't just throw you out in the cold."

She fell still, her eyes trained away from him. "Daniel," she said in an entirely different voice, "what do I say to them?"

"Hey," he said, and she looked back at him. "I think you already know." He watched her until the anxiety left her eyes, until she once again seemed like she had just tried to rob a pyramid. 

"Right," she said. Then Vala did something, maybe twitched her shoulder, and the garment she was wearing just...fell off.

Daniel would have liked to say he immediately looked away, but "immediate" wasn't such a precise term if you thought about it, really.

"I thought you'd seen all there is to see?" Vala asked. It sounded like she was getting dressed. He risked a glance and--

He shut his eyes. "Yeah, I may have exaggerated," he said. "Are you done yet?"

"Why don't you find out?" Vala took his hand in hers and tugged him closer.

"Vala," Daniel said, "Now is really not the--" His palm landed on the small of her back. Her entirely clothed back.

He looked down and Vala was pressed against him, mostly dressed but all invitation. " _Now_ is not the time?" she purred.

"Never," he replied. "I meant to say never. In any case, idiomatic expressions aren't the sa--" Daniel stopped mid-sentence. "I know what you're doing."

"Do you?" Vala said. One of her hands had curled against his throat, her thumb on his pulse. "Because I've asked around the base and--"

"No." Daniel meant to shift back. He may not have. "No, we're not doing this."

"--ry it up in there?" Mitchell strode in and evaluated the situation. Daniel with an arm wrapped around Vala's waist, Vala's shirt still half undone. "Uh-huh." 

"Did you need something, Mitchell?" Vala asked when it became clear Daniel was...not prepared to respond.

Mitchell didn't say anything as he turned on his heel and walked away.

***

After Mitchell left for the evening, Daniel set his pack and P90 down. Vala continued to test the boundaries of her cell.

"Vala," he tried. She bared her teeth at him, aimed a kick at the hinges of the cell door. "It's going to be fine."

She whirled around. "Is it, now?" She walked all the way to the bars; Daniel took a step back. "How does it feel, Daniel?"

"How does what feel?" he asked.

"Being completely wrong about something," she replied. "Completely, absolutely, fatally wrong."

Daniel sighed. "Vala--"

"Trust me, you said. It'll feel good, you said." Vala slapped a palm against the bars before she resumed prowling. "This is what happens when I ignore my instincts."

"Vala--"

"Or," she said, pointing at him, "maybe this is you. I travel with you and people try to execute me over and over and over again."

Daniel waited, but she'd gone back to silently fuming. Wordlessly, Daniel put his arm into the cell, a chocolate bar in hand as an offering.

Vala paced back and forth and back a dozen times. She snatched the chocolate and ripped the packaging open. Turning her back to Daniel, she slid down to the floor, leaning back against the bars. After a minute, she offered him half of the bar, arm bent over her shoulder so that she didn't have to look at him.

Daniel sat on the floor beside her, taking the chocolate from her, fingers brushing against her wrist. "Thank you," he said. He broke a corner of the bar off, let it melt in his mouth to pass the time. "I know things seem pretty bad right now," he said quietly, "but you've been calmer when we've faced worse."

She didn't say anything. He ate another piece of chocolate. 

"I was supposed to be safe here, Daniel," she finally whispered. "I was always safe here."

Daniel leaned against the cell's bars until Vala's hair brushed against his face. "Hey."

She shifted until he could see her profile against the torchlight. 

"I'm not saying I agree with what you did here," he said. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "But I'm sorry."

Vala turned fully to face him. His hand slid to the back of her neck. 

He looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry we took that away from you." Her jaw tightened, but she nodded. Daniel placed his forehead against the bars as she leaned closer. He drew his hand back, trailing from her temple to her neck to her shoulder.

"Daniel?" she murmured.

"You should get some sleep."

Something in her eyes flickered. "Sure." She pulled back. "So should you." There was a blanket in the corner; Vala rolled it into something pillow-shaped then lay down.

Daniel sat next to the cell in the flickering light, listening to her breathe.

***

After the trial, they fell back to Vala's cell. Teal'c and Mitchell started a card game. As he saw Vala folded and sat on the floor, Daniel went over and sat facing her. "How're you doing?"

"What if they do accept the Ori," Vala asked, "what if that Prior burns me to death a _third_ time? I'm pretty sure it'll stick now."

It sounded like a joke, but when he looked at her hands, he noticed a familiar trembling. "I will not let that happen to you," he said. 

She pressed her hands together. "Do you promise? And don't say--"

"I wasn't going to," Daniel said. "I'll even help you escape if it comes to that."

Vala shut her eyes. "All right." When she opened her eyes again, she seemed calmer. "I wish I felt so certain about everyone else."

***

Vala knew the name of every person she healed. As Daniel went from person to person, offering water and reassurance, he heard her asking about children, about marriages, about apprenticeships.

When he saw her slip away during a break, he followed her into the cool of the courtyard shadows. "Hey," he said.

She half-smiled at him, her hands fidgeting around the healing device. As he stepped closer, he pulled it out of her grasp and put it in his pocket. 

"It's been a while since I've done any healing," she said. She stretched her hands, fingers curving. "Not since you, actually."

Daniel took one of her hands in his own, rubbed a slow spiral into her palm. "How are you feeling?" He applied slight pressure to each of her fingers.

"Mm," she said. Her eyelids slipped half-closed as he switched to her other hand. "I wish I could do something more for them."

"Healing's a lot," he replied. "It's helping."

"It's the least of what I owe them," she said. "After I brought this--"

"No, come on," he said. "If anything, it's my fault."

Vala frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Daniel said, "I'm the one who convinced them to play chicken with a Prior."

"Played what?" Vala had taken one of his hands, was mirroring the massage he'd given her. 

"It's, um." He tried to think of a precise explanation. "Doing something dangerous to see which side backs down first."

Vala raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like an idiotic game."

"Yeah," Daniel replied. He tugged his hands away from hers, clasped them instead. "Want to head back out there?"

Vala shut her eyes. Nodded, and Daniel returned the hand device to her as they walked back into the sun.

***

Daniel stepped into Vala's quarters slowly, the door closing with a click behind him. For a second the room seemed empty, but no. Vala was lying flat on the floor, limbs spread like a starfish, still in her BDUs. "Still tired?" he asked as he sat down beside her, leaned back against the corner of her bed.

"Ask me in a few months," Vala replied. She turned her head to look at him. "I'll be here in the meantime."

"I know the feeling," Daniel replied. They rested in silence for a while, Vala awkwardly still, Daniel relaxing into the pull of gravity.

He caught a glint in his peripheral vision. "Is that--" He dipped his chin to get a better look. "Are you wearing a bracelet?"

"Oh," Vala said, raising her arm. On her right wrist was a slim twist of what looked like silver. "Azdak said I could keep this one."

"You're kidding," Daniel responded. "He let you keep some tribute?"

"No," she replied. "This was...Azdak's sister was pregnant. There were complications. I called in a favor, brought in a doctor from off-world."

"That's a pretty big risk to take," Daniel noted, "especially if you're trying to avoid attention."

Vala traced what looked like a seal on the bracelet. "They named the baby Rabitu." 

"Rabitu." Daniel considered a dozen root words before it clicked. "One of the Akkadian honorifics for Qetesh," he realized.

"And they gave me this." Vala lifted her arm higher--the seal was actually a lotus charm, faintly etched. "The father made it, I think."

"Made it?" Daniel reached forward and touched the lotus. "That's naquadah. That must be worth--"

"The baby is three years old now, I think," Vala said. "Thankfully, Azdak's sister moved to another village, so they were safe from the plague."

"Yeah." Daniel leaned back again. 

Another silence descended. Vala shifted, looked a little more directly at him. "What is it?"

"This is just going to keep happening," Daniel replied. "How many villages will the Priors punish because I tried to tell people the truth?"

"Daniel," Vala said, her voice reproachful. "You can't start wallowing in guilt now--it's still my turn."

"Ah," he said, trying not to smile. "Sorry. Dibs on tomorrow, then."

"I'll consider it."

"You know," Daniel said, "Mitchell said something about getting burgers. You want to come?"

Vala sat up so quickly that Daniel jerked back. "You mean outside?" she asked. "Really?"

"I don't see why not," Daniel replied. He stood, then offered Vala a hand up. "He's probably still in the conference room."

Vala nodded. "I'll only need a few minutes to change."

"Right." Daniel realized he still had her hand in his and released it. Put his hands in his pockets.

"Daniel," Vala said. "There are only so many times I'll take off my clothes for you before you have to return the favor."

Daniel blinked. "Right. I'll, uh," he took a few steps back, "I'll go find Mitchell, then." 

She smirked as he went out the door, watched as he walked down the hallway. Once he was out of sight, Vala leaned out the door and gave Finney a little wave. 

"What are burgers?"

**Author's Note:**

> Title and summary adapted from Fiona Apple's "[Fast as You Can](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/fionaapple/fastasyoucan.html)."


End file.
